Wegmans-Teamsters Dispute Heats Up

Recently Wegmans announced what it calls the company's 'last, best and final offer' to Teamster Local 118, in an effort to resolve negotiations that have been ongoing for more than six months.

Under this proposal, the company says the teamsters' members would get an immediate $1,000 lump sum payment and an 18 percent pay hike over the life of the six year contract, as well as what it calls a generous package of options related to retirement.

But a union official says the contract offer would eliminate the pensions of more than 900 of its Rochester area employees and dramatically reduce their compensation package.

Wegmans says a key issue has been the union's insistence its employees continue to participate in a Teamsters retirement fund, one which the company says is underfunded by more than one point seven billion dollars. The supermarket chain is proposing that its teamsters employees move to a financially stable retirement plant this is run by Wegmans.

The union contends that the company's plan would put its members retirement security in jeopardy.

At Sunday’s Buffalo Bills game, a plane flew overhead pulling a sign that read, “Wegmans Wants Buffalo To Lose.” Wegmans issued a statement on Sunday indicating that the company feels the union was behind that.

Wegmans issued a statement which disputes the way the union characterizes the company’s contract offer.